Celebrating 25 years

Originally launched as the British Columbia Technology Foundation by 24 founding partners.

Founding Partners: Greg Aasen, Jim Charlton, David Demers, Jim & Casey Fletcher, Norm & Pat Francis, Rory Holland, George Hunter, Paul Lee, David Mowat, Daniel Muzyka, Richard Osborn, Irfhan Rajani, Dr. Donald Rix, Don & Belinda Safnuk, Bijan Sanii, David & Gaylean Sutcliffe, Sharka Stuyt, James Topham, Sam Znaimer and Rhea Tregebov.

David Sutcliffe serves as founding Board Chair (2001-2004).

SVP issues first SVP Partner Pooled grants to KidSafe, Fast Track to Employment, and the Women’s Recovery Support Project. SVP adopts its money + time model, paring pooled grants with hands-on Partner expertise—an approach that remains foundational today.

Through a donor advised grant from the Francis Family Foundation, SVP funds Take A Hike Foundation to hire its first Executive Director.

Take A Hike 2004: One program in Vancouver with one staff member and a budget of $250K serving one community

Take A Hike 2025: 16 programs across two provinces serving 271 youth with a staff of 48 and budget of $6.5M

SVP provides grants to Odd Squad Productions, a youth-led media production company engaging Vancouver’s inner-city youth in film, sound, and digital media. The organization is still in operation today!

Made possible through designated Partner contributions, SVP becomes the first organization in Vancouver to support and fund local social enterprises, partnering with Vancity and the Vancouver Foundation to launch the BC Social Enterprise Fund and invest nearly $300,000 in nonprofit innovation and entrepreneurship.

Dr. Donald Rix Endowment Fund is launched with initial $100,000 sent to the Vancouver Foundation.

Dr. Rix agrees to match up to $1M in donations. Today, the endowment is valued at just under $2M.

British Columbia Technology Foundation becomes BC Social Venture Partners.

James Topham, Board Chair (2008–2011).

SVP Vancouver provided EMBERS with a three-year grant and strategic support to build its capacity growth and launch 20 micro- enterprises. Since then, EMBERS has grown dramatically, expanding its reach and deepening its ability to connect more people to employment, income, and greater financial stability.

Embers now boasts more than $17M in self generated/fee-for-service revenue, has placed 1,700+ individuals on job sites to date, and pays wages in excess of $10M.

SVP support helps F.O.R.C.E. strengthen operations and strategy to increase their mental health supports for families and achieve sustainable growth.

Today, F.O.R.C.E. operates as FamilySmart, and supports more than 4,000 families with free support to parents and caregivers of children and youth facing mental health and/or substance use challenges.

SVP invests in Saint James Music Academy to support program expansion and long-term sustainability. The number of children served increases by 84% and fundraising revenue increases by 99% from 2011 to 2015.

David Sutcliffe’s SVP impact continues for another term as Board Chair.

SVP turns its funding focus to nonprofits servings children and youth.

BC Social Venture Partners officially becomes “Social Venture Partners Vancouver” or SVP.

Paul Geyer appointed Board Chair.

Norm Francis receives the SVP Distinguished Partner Award, and SVP hires second full-time staff member.

SVP supports 15 Investees, a record number of Investees in a single year.

Nick Bedford, Judy Gale, and Ken Spencer each receive SVP Distinguished Partner Award

SVP Vancouver awards scaling grants to Take A Hike, Yo Bro | Yo Girl Youth Initiative, and The Writers’ Exchange to help each organization grow their reach.

SVP Partners double from 2013 to 85 in 2016 and SVP hires its third full-time staff member.

David Sutcliffe receives SVP Distinguished Partner Award. SVP launches Social Impact and Strategy Coach shared services which continues to this day.

SVP formalizes long-term support beyond the grant through its Alumni Investee Program. SVP Vancouver Alumni Investees continue to benefit from the power of partnership, with ongoing access to events, on-demand capacity-building support, and future funding opportunities when available.

In response to the difficult times of the COVID pandemic, SVP launched the Covid Relief Fund. At a time when nonprofits had to pivot to ensure they could keep their vital programs going, SVP dispersed $156K incremental dollars via this fund, ensuring children and youth could still access the services they need.

SVP Vancouver’s Early Years Innovation Fund was created to fill a critical gap: early childhood ideas and programs often struggle to find the support they need to launch and grow. The fund has helped nonprofits test promising solutions, expand what works, and improve outcomes for children and families across B.C.

Down Syndrome Resource Foundation‘s Kinder Kickoff Program and Lightwell Learning (Formerly LDS – Learn. Develop. Succeed.)‘s EarlyRISEers program are the first initiatives funded via this trial. 

SVP rolls out its brand-new granting stream: the Capacity-Building Flex Fund. This fund takes any remaining annual surplus of SVP granting capacity and makes it available to applying organizations in support of their programs, projects and potential funding gaps. This funding is entirely flexible to the needs of the applying organizations.

Robin and Linda Louis receive SVP Distinguished Partner Award.

The goal: to triple SVP investments in high-impact non-profits and continue to invest in Early Years Initiatives while still granting across all age bands.

First Series B grant awarded to LDS for its RISE Next Generation AI project. 

Dan Bowditch receives SVP Distinguished Partner Award. 

SVP grows from 24 partners in 2001 to 151 in 2025.

$370K in Series B grants awarded since inception to four organizations. 

The SVP Leadership Table launches—a leadership development opportunity for nonprofit leaders. 

Nicole Geyer, Paul Geyer and Greg Sullivan receive SVP Distinguished Partner Awards.

SVP plans to invest $1.6M in grants and capacity-building programming as we build the next chapter of venture philanthropy in B.C.

In 2027, SVP Vancouver aims to invest $2M in our community—more than 20x the amount of our first year of Partner Pooled grants back in 2002. 

We’re ready to tackle our societies greatest challenges. Together.